Chapter 9 — Hannah Grabs a Dustpan and Broom — Then The Cleanup of the Shattered Heirloom Begins
Hannah moves quickly.
She scoops Sammy up by his collar.
She gently tugs the golden retriever backward.
“Come on, buddy, let’s get you out of the danger zone,” Hannah says.
Sammy gives a soft whine.
He trots willingly toward the kitchen doorway.
Margaret watches them go.
She pushes herself back up to a standing position with a soft grunt.
Her joints ache from the sudden exertion.
She looks down at the sea of blue and white porcelain covering the living room rug.
“I need to help clean this up,” Margaret insists.
“You don’t have to do that alone.”
Hannah walks back into the living room.
She carries a bright yellow dustpan and a long-handled broom.
She sets them down beside the coffee table.
“We can do it together,” Hannah replies.
“Just watch your step.”
“There are tiny splinters everywhere.”
Margaret nods.
She kneels down on a folded towel to protect her knees.
Hannah hands her a small cardboard box.
“Put the larger pieces in here,” Hannah instructs.
“The dustpan will catch the smaller shards.”
Margaret carefully sweeps up the final ceramic fragments near the coffee table.
She brushes the last few dust-like grains of porcelain into the pan.
Hannah locks the security app on her phone and places the device back on the side table.